Katherine Archuleta, a former Obama campaign national political director and a former senior official in the Labor, Energy and Transportation Departments, has been sworn in as OPM director following her confirmation by the Senate. The position had been vacant since April and was the subject of a brief hold by a senator over lack of information from OPM about the effect of the Affordable Care Act on congressional employees. The hold soon was lifted but the vote was put off for months anyway, and the final confirmation tally fell largely along party lines. That was largely due to dissatisfaction over OPM’s decision that those employees–and members of Congress—who must leave the FEHB effective at the end of this year can continue to receive government contributions toward premiums under the ACA, although only if they enroll in a certain plan in the District of Columbia. At her confirmation hearing, Archuleta cited IT problems and the long-standing backlog of retirement applications as her top priorities. Another issue on her plate at the outset will be policies on phased retirement authority; OPM proposed rules in the summer but still has not finalized them. The OPM deputy director position meanwhile has been vacant for more than two years, and the agency will need a new general counsel, as well; Elaine Kaplan, who had been serving as acting director, already has been confirmed to become a federal claims court judge.